Looks like a new viral marketing campaign has emerged from Warner Bros. by setting up a Gotham Observer newspaper on their website DewGothamCity.com. Check it out, its actually pretty interesting.

]]>http://batmanrises.com/harvey-dent-day-is-coming/feed/5262Tickets for The Dark Knight Rises will go on sale Monday, June 11th.http://batmanrises.com/tickets-for-the-dark-knight-rises-will-go-on-sale-monday-june-11th/
http://batmanrises.com/tickets-for-the-dark-knight-rises-will-go-on-sale-monday-june-11th/#commentsMon, 04 Jun 2012 18:39:41 +0000http://batmanrises.com/?p=331Tickets for The Dark Knight Rises will go on sale Monday, June 11th. This is awesome news, as you should probably start waiting in line right now to get them. Get some sleeping bags ready.
]]>http://batmanrises.com/tickets-for-the-dark-knight-rises-will-go-on-sale-monday-june-11th/feed/5008New Theatrical Banners for The Dark Knight Riseshttp://batmanrises.com/new-theatrical-banners-for-the-dark-knight-rises/
http://batmanrises.com/new-theatrical-banners-for-the-dark-knight-rises/#commentsWed, 30 May 2012 22:37:14 +0000http://batmanrises.com/?p=323

]]>http://batmanrises.com/new-theatrical-banners-for-the-dark-knight-rises/feed/5726New trailers for The Dark Knight Rises releasedhttp://batmanrises.com/new-trailers-for-the-dark-knight-rises-released/
http://batmanrises.com/new-trailers-for-the-dark-knight-rises-released/#commentsFri, 25 May 2012 15:40:55 +0000http://batmanrises.com/?p=297Each of these trailers is only for TV spots, so they aren’t exactly as fulfilling or cool as the original trailers released earlier this year. But still they show a lighter side to Batman which is always good to see out of the Dark Knight.

Looks like the Hype machine is in full swing for The Dark Knight Rises as Warner has started to build up to its blockbuster film of the Summer. One of the more interesting promotions is Batman teaming up with the NBA and making some interesting (if not confusing) commercials that seem to advertise both the playoffs and The Dark Knight Rises. Not sure how they combine those two, but I guess it makes for some pretty cool edited commercials.

Soft drink maker Mountain Dew is also getting in on the hype with its own creative promotion. They are creating their own very new flavor, Mtn Dew Dark Berry, that will turn a different color (I think Coors tried this and it was an epic failure) when chilled. I don’t understand why they chose Berry for the Batman flavor, seems like one of the more effeminate flavors, but then again I’m not a fan of berry’s or Mountain Dew so I guess I am a little biased.

The other promotion, having a Tumbler drive around America, seems pretty cool. I’m wondering how street legal that thing is, and if it isn’t I would love to see some pictures of it get pulled over.

Overall its probably smart that they just started ramping up the promotions till after the Avengers came out, so that they didn’t have to compete directly with that other Blockbuster that continues to dominate the Box Office.

]]>http://batmanrises.com/the-dark-hype-rises/feed/5338Bane is a bigger monster than the Joker according to Nolanhttp://batmanrises.com/bane-is-a-bigger-monster-than-the-joker-according-to-nolan/
http://batmanrises.com/bane-is-a-bigger-monster-than-the-joker-according-to-nolan/#commentsFri, 18 May 2012 16:37:37 +0000http://batmanrises.com/?p=291Article Link: The Dark Knight Rises’ Bane is ‘more of a monster’ than The Joker

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Christopher Nolan gave some deeper insight into Batman’s nemesis, Bane, for the upcoming film The Dark Knight Rises. In an intriguing revelation Nolan says that Bane was partially inspired by Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, hence why he wears the overcoat and seems intent on revolution. Obviously Nolan has made a habit of delving deeper into the Batman psychology, but conjuring up Dickens in a Batman film is pretty impressive.

Nolan also states that Bane isn’t supposed to compete with the legendary Joker (good decision), but rather be his own monster. He says that the Bane-Batman rivalry more mimics an irresistible force versus an immovable object. This should definitely make for an exciting conclusion to the Nolan-Batman trilogy.

“We somewhat left the audience hanging at the end of the last film in terms of Bruce’s story and we want to bring it full circle and have a complete tale. We’ve a great ending we’ve been wanting to tell for some years now. We’re just thrilled to have been able to bring our story around to its conclusion,”.

That was Christopher Nolan in an interview for Total Film. Now as a fan of his franchise, and a bit too obsessed in finding meaning in every news bit that has trickled out of the Nolan camp, I have tried to figure out if he revealed anything about The Dark Knight Rises ending in that quote. Now in reality, Nolan might have just been giving the company answer when talking about his movies conclusion, and there is absolutely no subtlety in that sentence.

But because I believe in a JFK conspiracy and the Loch Ness Monster, I feel there could be some meaning in it. The first thing that stands out in the quote is when he says he wanted to bring the tale “full circle” and later on when he said he wanted to “bring our story around to its conclusion,”. The words “bring around” and “full circle” imply to me that Nolan is trying to bring Batman back to where he was trying to go in the original fim, Batman Begins.

As you might remember Bruce Wayne was a very lost and confused person after his parents were killed in Batman Begins. He was going to kill his parents’ murderer before he is beaten to the punch by Carmine Falcone, who himself kills the murderer. Later when Bruce confronts Carmine about this murder, Carmine yells back that Bruce knows nothing about “true suffering” and basically calls him a spoiled rich joke. This causes Bruce to wander the world in order to learn suffering and also to learn more about the evils in the world. This is how he meets Ra’s al Ghul, who proceeds to tell him how he intends to save the world by destroying Gotham because it is corrupt and beyond saving.

Now both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight have been sprinkled with biblical meaning, but those two parts from Batman Begins I think signify where Christopher Nolan is trying to take this movie. By Carmine telling Bruce that he doesn’t know “true suffering” and later Ra’s al Ghul saying that Gotham is corrupt beyond saving, it seems Nolan was setting Batman up to be a Jesus like figure.

We all know the tail of what happened to Jesus. So does that mean that Nolan is going to have Batman die in order to save Gotham? The rumors have been out there since The Dark Knight Rises was first announced to be in production, that this is a possibility and something that I believe Nolan would do. Batman has been trying to save Gotham, and in both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight he has been successful in fighting off the individual threats that have faced his city. But he has also been trying to get the city to defend itself in its own way by becoming less corrupt and more ethical. In the Dark Knight Rises he even comes out and says that Gotham needs a symbol, who he mistakenly makes Harvey Dent.

It seems to me that Nolan would try to make Bruce Wayne that symbol in The Dark Knight Rises. But does that mean that he will kill off Batman? Possibly not, considering its DC/Warner’s character, and the studio might stop that from happening. But maybe he kills off Bruce Wayne and replaces Batman with another character.

There have been rumors that Joseph Gordon-Levitts’ character John Blake could be that replacement. His late entry into the film story, and his obscure Batman name (from an early comic), have caused some to speculate that he could be a possible substitute for Batman. Personally I feel that this could be what Nolan is hinting at when he was quoted earlier. But then again he could have just quoted a passing statement with no meaning. Either way we should find out on July 20th how Nolan wraps up his Batman saga.

In a far reaching interview from The Hollywood Reporter, Marion Cotillard touched on a number of subjects, including the often heard rumor that she plays Talia al Ghul the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul. Her character is officially titled Miranda Tate in the script, but fans have speculated over her real identity since the announcement of her character months ago.

Marion revealed in the interview that she is not playing Talia al Ghul, and that she a “good guy”. She was very tight-lipped about exactly what role Miranda Tate plays, except to say she cares about the environment and has an interest in Wayne Enterprises. That definitely doesn’t reveal much, but going by her answers and how little she spent on the set (she was filming another French film simultaneously), its fair to say her role in The Dark Knight Rises is probably minor and/or short on screen-time.

Christopher Nolan seems to like going to actors he has used in previous films, like Tom Hardy (Bane) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (John Blake), who both were in his earlier film Inception with Marion. So it is safe to say that in all probability Christopher Nolan was using an actress he trusted in a small role, and that Miranda Tate doesn’t have as big a role as rumors suggest.

But maybe I’m wrong, and Nolan has one more surprise waiting for us with Ms. Tate. We shall see.

If you’re willing to waste $48 on a T-Shirt, then the Dark Knight Rises merchandise is for you. Warner Bros. recently released a tidal wave of costly shirts as part of their viral marketing campaign. One of the T-Shirts looks like it stole the AC-DC lightning bolts and added them to the side of Bane’s image. Not sure if that is supposed to signify that Bane is a fan of AC-DC, or just starting his own band, but it could definitely work in an 80’s retro concert if you have any tickets this summer and want a new shirt.

Overall this stuff might be a hard sell unless your a huge fan-boy. I have to say that the previous movie, The Dark Knight, produced some awesome T-Shirts, especially the “Why So Serious” moniker. But this recently released merchandise looks somewhat corny and overpriced for $48. Hopefully I’m wrong and all these products become collectables.

]]>http://batmanrises.com/more-dark-knight-rises-merchandise-to-waste-your-money-on/feed/4380The Dark Knight Rises vs The Avengers (or better yet Gloomy vs Candy)http://batmanrises.com/the-dark-knight-rises-vs-the-avengers-or-better-yet-gloomy-vs-candy/
http://batmanrises.com/the-dark-knight-rises-vs-the-avengers-or-better-yet-gloomy-vs-candy/#commentsWed, 02 May 2012 17:57:27 +0000http://batmanrises.com/?p=250Whether your a fan of Summer fun, or a stark tale delving into the root of good and evil, this Summer has everything you want for a blockbuster. The Dark Knight Rises will continue Christopher Nolan’s dark trilogy set in the dystopian Gotham, and offer viewers allegories into the modern world. This will be a far cry from the Campy, fantasy oriented world of The Avengers.

A lot of fanboys have already chosen which movie they will like better, and will defend their decision even if their choice happens to suck. But for the rest of us, it will be the execution of the movie that will let us choose who can hold the title of Best Blockbuster of 2012.

We know going into The Avengers that we will be treated to an ensemble cast featuring cartoon-ish characters, snappy jokes and a script that follows the classic 3-Act structure. What we are hoping to see is how the characters interact with each other, how well the special effects work with the script and how funny and witty the dialogue can be.

On the other hand we know that The Dark Knight Rises will be dark, symbolic and full of undertones. But what we will be looking for is how well Bane is portrayed, how Catwoman is integrated into this dark adaption and finally how Nolan concludes this epic trilogy.

With the buildup for these movies, both could fail epically. This is what haunts all fanboys and movie enthusiasts when they look at the hype for these two movies. We are reminded of the stinkers that were Spiderman 3 and The Phantom Menace. We know that our expectations can cause unreasonable goals for movies, especially sequels. This could cause the Summer of 2012 to be the year of Epic Failure for blockbusters (we already had Disney’s John Carter).

But on the other hand we might love both movies and consider 2012 a year of classic blockbusters (sorry for not mentioning The Amazing Spiderman yet). It has taken years for their respective studios to build up to these 2 movies, and now the payoff from that labor is about to be realized.

Will the studios be satisfied? Will we be satisfied? That will be decided this Summer.